broadening_horizonsfandomcom-20200214-history
SEASONS IN ROMANIA
Seasons in Romania Due to its position in the south-eastern part of Central Europe, Romania has a temperate continental climate with moderate features and four distinct seasons, a climate that is transitional between temperate regions and the harsher extremes of the continental interior. The climatic conditions are somewhat modified by the country’s varied landscape. The Carpathians act as a barrier to the Atlantic air masses and restrict their oceanic influence to the western and central part of the country (Transylvania, Banat and Maramureș), where they cause milder winters and heavier rainfall. The mountains also block the continental influences of the Russian Plain which bring frosty winters and less rain to the southern and south-eastern part of the country. In the extreme south-east the maritime influences of the Black Sea bring a milder climate. This overall pattern is substantially modified by the relief and there are many examples of climatic zones induced by changes in the elevation. In the long Carpathian range which crosses Romania the weather gets colder and rainier with increasing altitude and the winter snowfalls are replaced in summer by thunderstorms which occur in the afternoon. The average annual temperature depends on latitude and ranges from11°C in the south and middle-south and 8°C in the north-east, with temperatures of 2.6°C in the mountains and 12°C in the plains. Daytime temperatures vary from 0-5°C in the winter and 25-30°C in the summer months. In the southern areas it can be warmer while in the northern and eastern mountain districts of Transylvania it can be cooler, with moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights in summer and temperatures far below zero in winter. Extreme temperatures range from about 45°C in the Bărăgan region to -38°C in Transylvania. Rainfall, although adequate throughout the country, decreases from west to east and from mountains to plains. Annual average rainfall is about 700 mm, more in the mountains (up to 1,000 mm) and less on the Black Sea Coast (about 400 mm), as summer thunderstorms are less frequent here. It reaches a maximum in May or June, mainly because of thunderstorms which occur in the afternoon. Some mountain regions receive more than 1,010 mm of precipitation each year. Many regions are subject to periodic draughts and flooding. Since the early 1990s Romania’s northern regions have been affected by severe rainfall and flooding. In 1998 and 1999 an unprecedented amount of rain fell in the Retezat Mountains, resulting in landslides, flooding and widespread destruction and loss of lives. On the other hand, the southern regions of the country have suffered draught and high temperatures since the 1990s. These conditions have been exacerbated by injudiciousagricultural practices. Humid winds from the north-west are most common, but often the drier winds from the north-east are stronger. A hot wind from the south-west, the “austrul’ blows over western Romania, particularly in summer. In winter cold and dense air masses encircle the eastern portions of the country and a cold northeasterly wind known as the “crivăț” blows from the Russian Plain. In the western regions the oceanic air masses coming from the Azores bring rain and mitigate the severity of the cold. Although we are supposed to have four distinct seasons (spring from March to May, summer from June to August, autumn from September to November and winter from December to February), we sometimes experience incredible cold winters followed by very hot summers. Spring The change from winter conditions to those of summer is often abrupt and spring is a short and changeable season in Romania. However, spring is very pleasant, with sunny afternoons and cool mornings and nights. Spring starts in mid-March in most of Romania’s regions, April in the mountains and in the north part of the country. Temperature can vary during the day between 6°C in the morning and 20°C in the afternoon. In the mountains abundant snowfall may occur even in mid-March, though spring is quite a dry season. In May the country is in bloom and the temperature is generally pleasant, even though the afternoon thunderstorms are already possible. Summer Summer, from June to August, is quite warm, with extended periods of sunny days in the plains and hills of Transylvania (the region north and west of the Carpathians) and in the region east of the Carpathians, on the border with Moldavia: the maximum average temperatures are around 25°C in the plains and 23°C at around 400 meters above sea level. Wallachia, the region south of the Carpathians where Bucharest is located, is warmer and it often gets hot here and it’s easy for the temperature to reach 35°C and above. Sometimes, however, it can get hot even in the northern plains and hills. The hottest areas in summer are the lowlands in southern and eastern Romania, where temperatures of 35°C are often reached in July and August. The low level of humidity makes the temperatures rather bearable for the most part. July is the hottest month of the year, with average temperatures ranging from 22-23°C in the south-east to 10°C in the mountains. In the mountains temperatures are cooler during summer and the air stays moist all year round as fog, mist and drizzles are quite common. Due to Romania’s distance to the open sea, summers in our country can be very hot, with an average maximum temperature in Bucharest around 29°C and over 35°C in the lower regions in the south. There are over 40 “tropical days” (with temperatures over 30°C) and over 90 days with temperatures over 25°C in the southern part of the country each year. However, along the Black Sea Coast sea breezes offer moderate temperatures even in July. On the Black Sea Coast tourism reaches its height between June and August although temperatures in the summer months can reach a sizzling 40°C, since this region often receives air masses coming from inland. The highest temperature ever recorded in our country was 44.5°C (south-eastern Romania, August 10, 1951). Summer is a fairly rainy season, especially because afternoon thunderstorms which occur especially in the period from May to July, and are most frequent and abundant in the mountains. Sometimes these thunderstorms are so strong that they can cause floods. The amount of sunshine in summer is good in the lowlands while the weather is more easily cloudy in the mountains and in Transylvania Autumn ' ' Autumn is frequently longer, with dry warm weather from September to late November. September is usually a sweet and quiet month, with little rain and sometimes the warm and sunny weather lasts till October.Romania experiences the changes of seasons in all their glory and also in their occasional gloom. October brings a display of colorful autumn foliage, but it can also be quite cold and rainy. Long periods of dryness alternate with periods of rain. The first frosts occur at the end of October and the first snowfall comes in November, but those can be delayed in the southern plains. Winter Winter is cold throughout Romania, with average highs even in lower-lying areas being no more than 3°C and below -15°C in the highest mountains, where some areas of permafrost occur on the highest peaks. Cold air stagnates in the lowest layers and the sky is often cloudy. The air is swept with frosty winds and snow carpets most of the country.Snowfall is quite common but not abundant; in the inland plains, there are about thirty days with snow per year. The ground is often covered with snow in Bucharest. During winter, the temperatures are fairly uniform across the continental region and decrease especially with increasing altitude. January is the coldest month of the year. In the plains, the average temperature in January goes between -1 °C and -2.5 °C. In Bucharest, the average temperature is -2°C.In the Transylvanian Plateau, west of the Carpathians, winter is slightly colder: in Cluj-Napoca, 400 meters above sea level, the average temperature in January is -3.5 °C, while in Sibiu, at the same altitude it is -4 °C. Romania, like other parts of the Balkan Peninsula, is exposed to cold air outbreaks from northern Europe and Russia, most likely in winter and spring. They were more frequent in the past decades, when the climate was colder, however they can lower the temperatures to around -20 °C, while in summer a bit of cool air at high altitudes, in contrast with the hot air lying in the lower layers, can produce thunderstorms.During winter, the mildest area of Romania is Dobrogea, a low region east of the Danube, overlooking the Black Sea Coast, where the average temperature in January is just above freezing, around 1 °C. The days of the year in which the night-time temperature goes below freezing are 110 in Bucharest and 70 in Constanța, on the coast. The cold record of the last 20 years is -23 °C in Bucharest and -18 °C in Constanța. During colder winters, the Black Sea Coast can even freeze, as it happened in February 2012. This makes it clear that winter along the coast of the Black Sea, though milder than in the interior, is still cold. As mentioned, until a few decades ago, winter was a few degrees colder here as in other Eastern Europe countries, so the average temperatures were lower than those of the last decades. While not the rule, abundant snowfalls may occur throughout the country, from December till mid-March. Winters are coldest in the Carpathian Mountains where there is snow from December through to April. The ski season in Romania runs from December to March, although high resorts such as Stâna de Vale often remain open until late April. The lowest temperature ever recorded in our country was -38.5°C (Central Romania, January 24, 1942). Considering the weather conditions, the best time to do a tour of Romania would be from March to October as the weather is not very cold and the roads are clean and practicable. Sometimes summer can be very hot, but this is difficult to predict and this could be an advantage if you are a person who enjoys the sun. March is sometimes very cold and October can be rainy, but this depends on your luck and you cannot know everything in advance. If your itinerary in Romania includes the mountain region you should take some warm clothes as the weather is usually colder there. At the same time the northern regions (Maramureș, Bucovina) have a colder weather and the south ones are warmer (Muntenia, the Black Sea Coast, Bucharest). But do not forget that every season has its only unique charm and you can always find opportunities to experience something interesting in Romania. You can ski in one of the winter resorts if you come between December and March or you can get a beautiful tan on the Black Sea Coast if you come from June to September. References: · Administrația Națională de Meteorologie, Clima României, Editura Academiei Române, București, 2008. · Rodica Povara - "Climatologia Generala", Editura Fundatiei Romania de Maine, Bucuresti, 2004, PP. 27-39. · Ion Sandu, Victor Ion Pescaru, Ion Poiana - "Clima Romaniei", Editura Academiei Romane, Bucuresti, 2008, PP. 48-6. · https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clima · http://www.meteoromania.ro/ · http://www.vremeainromania.com/ · http://www.ro-geo.ro/romania